Monthly Archives: March 2014

Mighty

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Today, I am participating in a fun Friday exercise called “Five Minute Friday.”  Every Friday blogger Lisa Jo Baker posts a word and writers are encouraged to spend five minutes writing a short focused post on that word, no worries of perfection or what others think or how it sounds, just what comes to mind. This week’s word was “Mighty.” I hope you are encouraged by my words on the subject.

Did you know the average adult has 60,000 thoughts each day? An even more striking statistic is sunrisethat 85% of those thoughts are negative ones about ourselves! Which means around 50,000 times a day we tell ourselves we’re not good enough, we’re not beautiful enough, we don’t have the talent to compete! And in the process, we get stuck in a cycle of self-deprecation and self-loathing.

The truth is while we are all products of our pasts, we are not prisoners of it. You can choose what you think about each day. You can made good choices. You can become Christ’s light in a fallen world. Since we are made in God’s image, His mighty love means we can move against our fears, be released from our past and do amazing things because of His strength.

You may think you are facing a wall. But on the other side of that wall is your future. And it can be astounding if you place it in the hands of a loving God. Because the most amazing thing you can do is be obedient to God.

God does not define you by your failures. God does not want you stuck in the mire of regret. And His is the only opinion that matters! “The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves.” Zephaniah 3:17

Challenge yourself each day to know Jesus intimately. He will transform you. He will build a new life with you. Your identity is in God. And there is no limit to what a man or woman can do for the glory of God.

Heroes

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Orange County has a new hero. Bruno, a German Shepherd police dog, was shot on Friday during a SWAT operation. The bullet struck him in the jaw and traveled into his chest. After a lengthy surgery where his jaw was rebuilt and part of his lung removed, he is expected to make full recovery. His bravery saved the lives of several police officers.Bruno

Not all acts of heroism need to save a life in order to be defined as brave or courageous. A modern day hero is a person who helps those in need.  A real hero gives selflessly of his time, money and energy for the good of others without asking for anything in return and, when offered, turns it down. There are many people, who in a variety of ways, come into our lives and softly, quietly improve them and in the process make us better people. They act without any acclaim or applause, but show compassion, generosity and kindness.

We think of heroes as doing something on a grand scale, but everyday heroes find a way to make this world a better place one person at a time. They don’t wait until they are perfect, they simply get on to doing amazing things. John Ortberg wrote, “If you wait until you are ready, you wait forever. God uses not-ready people.”

There are heroes in my life I’ve never met. Mother Teresa, Corrie ten Boom, Eleanor Roosevelt, Neil Armstrong. There are also larger than life heroes I have met: Colin Powell, Rick Stearns, Max Lucado, Patrick Lenconi. Today, though, I’d like to say thank you to those kind individuals who acted with compassion towards me in my times of need. The friends who showed up unexpectedly at my father’s wake, the teacher who let me cry in her arms after a breakup with a boyfriend, the coworker who gave me a spectacular reference, the gals in my writer’s group who have spent so much time making me a better communicator. There are way too many to list here, but without them I would be a sorry individual. You are my heroes! Thank you so much for all you did when I needed you most.

This, then is a call to action, not only for you, but for myself. When the opportunity comes to help someone, show someone a kindness, offer someone help, don’t hesitate. Just do it, as the motto states. You may never be heralded as a hero on television like Bruno was, but you will make every bit of a difference in someone’s life.

Mother Teresa famously said, “Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.” So, let’s get on with it! Make today a turning point. Seek out opportunities to spread love and kindness softly and quietly throughout your day. The world will be a much better place when you do.

Wonder

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RMNP032114I love the Colorado Rockies. So much so that while we could have honeymooned almost anywhere on earth, I asked my groom to start our married life there. To flatlanders who lived in a place where the curvature of the earth is nearly visible, the mountains reminded us of God’s strength; His goodness. Every day of that sweet beginning, the peaks created a sense of wonder towards our God and our awe lured us to worship in His love, His beauty and His truth.

But the honeymoon ends. It always does. Life encroaches and too soon we are caught up in necessary routines and habits. Hurry and stress, too much technology and information overload, the rhythms of life conspire to blot out the wonder of God. It is too easy to get caught up in the cycle of the mundane, to exchange awe and wonder for apathy. Unwittingly, we stayed buried in the boredom.

Which is why I’ve become a student of the wonder of the ordinary. Each day, our Creator lavishes this world with reminders, great and small, of His majesty. The world itself is a huge stockpile of God marvels. And I ponder: Am I cultivating the kind of spirit that is paying attention to and delighting in discovering God all day long?

He heaps a myriad of miracles in my days and I’m determined to not let them pass without feeling God’s beauty. Isaiah 26:19 states, You who dwell in the dust, wake up and shout for joy! That’s what I want to do every day – awake to the wonders of God and thank Him for them.

Admittedly there are days when a writing deadline forces me to reduce my world to my computer punctuated by short trips to the kitchen. Still God’s miracles intrude. They may be in the form of an email from a friend or the impatient gaze of my dog waiting by the door for a walk or in the magnificent yellow moon rising off the horizon at night. Over a welcome cup of hot tea, I pause and imagine God peaking over the canopy of the universe asking, “Who is paying attention to my everyday miracles? Who will grow today in their capacity for wonder and awe by seeing the unwrapped gifts I’ve placed in their path?”

Despite the weariness our routine creates, I know for certain God does incredible work in us when we lay fresh eyes on Him. When we cultivate a sense of awe and joy by paying attention to His cadence in our lives, we are driven to give thanks. We become more humble and grateful.

God invites us daily into an exquisite, loving relationship by sharing Himself in the beauty of the world around us. Wonder reminds us how big and awesome our God is. It is our call to worship for it is in worship we fully experience the unending grace of God. Revel in the joy, humor, sadness and love that are all a part of life. Become a student of the ordinary. May you awake to what a Heavenly Father’s outrageous love brings you each day and with childlike abandon shout for joy.